Leading from the front: Denmark captain Kjaer hailed a hero for swift response to Eriksen scare during Euro 2020 game | Football News
Saturday, June 12, 2020, was a day like none other. The entire world came to a standstill as a football player laid motionless on the pitch. The rest of the players on the pitch were absolutely distraught while the medical staff was busy resuscitating Denmark’s playmaker Christan Eriksen. The whole of Denmark, their Euro Group B opponent Finland, and the rest of the world prayed. In the midst of all this there was one man who, by his swift response to the distressing situation, did all he could to make sure his friend was okay. His name is Simon Kjaer.
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The Denmark captain is being hailed as a hero following his brave, compassionate, and alert response in Copenhagen on Saturday evening. The moment arrived around the 40th minute when Eriksen was approaching his teammate to collect a throw-in. Before the ball reached him, Eriksen collapsed. The referee blew the whistle immediately and called for rapid medical support. Even before the medics got there, Kjaer was present next to Eriksen and was the first one to begin potential life-saving actions. He, according to reports, gave his compatriot CPR. As soon as the medical team took over, he initiated a shield around their stricken teammate.
The visuals of the Danes protecting their friend and colleague are heart-warming. That’s not it. Soon after, he was seen consoling Eriksen’s wife, who had rushed down the pitch to enquire about her partner’s health. She was in tears and it was Kjaer, along with goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who consoled her.
Kjaer and Eriksen play in the same city. While Eriksen won the 2020/21 Serie A title with Inter Milan, 32-year-old Kjaer plays for the AC Milan. Named as the 2007 Danish under-19 talent of the year and 2009 Danish Talent of the Year, Kjaer has played more than 100 games for his country after debuting in 2009.
As fans, players, doctors and the rest of the world continue to praise and hail Kjaer, he must be relieved knowing that his good friend is ‘stabilised’ and receiving treatment in the hospital.
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The match was suspended after the scare but on the request of the players, after knowing Eriksen was ‘awake’, the match resumed. Joel Pohjanpalo’s 60th-minute goal helped Finland register a 1-0 win and get their debut Euro competition off to a winning start.
